Rocker assemblies are often provided between the front and rear wheel wells and below the doors of a vehicle to provide resistance to intrusion into the passenger compartment, or to protect a battery in an electrified vehicle, in side impact collisions. Rocker assemblies may include an outer rocker panel that is joined to a side sill.
Vehicle strengthening members may be used to increase load carrying capacity, impact energy absorption, and bending resistance while reducing mass per unit length of the strengthening member. When a compressive force is exerted longitudinally on a strengthening member (for example, a force due to a side impact load on a vehicle's side rocker rail or other member), the strengthening member may crush in a longitudinal direction to absorb the energy of the collision. In addition, when a bending force is exerted on a strengthening member (for example, a force due to a side impact load on a vehicle's front side sill, B-pillar or other strengthening member), the strengthening member may bend to absorb the energy of the collision.